30 Aspiring Facts We Bet You Never Knew About The Cricketer Steve Smith

Steve Smith, often regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world, is considered to be the "best since Bradman" due to his high batting average. He is a right-handed batsman, who has garnered attention to his unique technique which is thought to be un-orthodoxy. Here are some facts about the Australian professional cricketer:

1.  Steve Smith is a former Captain of Australian cricket team, who was initially selected as a right-arm leg spinner and went on to cement his place as a frontline top order batsman. He is also known for his ‘fly swat’ celebration after scoring a century.
2.  Smith was born Steven Peter Devereux Smith, on June 2, 1989, in Kogarah, Sydney, Australia, to an Australian father, Peter Smith and an English mother, Gillian.
3.  He played cricket extensively throughout his school years, leading Menai High School, Illawong, Sydney, to many a wins in various inter-school tournaments. At the age of 17, he dropped out and moved to England to join ‘Sevenoaks Vine,’ in the ‘Kent Cricket League.’
4.  Thanks to his mother, his dual citizenship attracted offer from English county side Surrey, who offered a three-year deal worth around £30,000 per year and possibility of playing for England. However, his heart was set on playing state and international cricket in Australia, chose New South Wales’s offer of AU$12,000.
5.  Smith made his first class debut on January 24, 2008, and scored 33 runs playing for New South Wales against Western Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
6.  He was selected for the 2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia, where he scored 114 runs and took 7 wickets in four matches, with highest score of 39.
7.  In the 2008 KFC Big Bash tournament, he was the leading wicket taker with 9 in four matches, including 4 for 15 against Queensland. He was named second best player of the tournament.
8.  In the finals of 2009-10 Sheffield Shield tournament at Sydney in March 2010, he scored 100 in the only innings he batted and took impressive 7 wickets for 64 in the second innings. At the end of the season he had first-class batting average of over 50 in 13 matches, and was steadily improving his bowling.
9.  Smith joined Indian Premier League as a replacement for Jesse Ryder, for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, in 2010 editions. He went on to represent Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Pune Warrior India, Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiants. He has an aggregate of 2022 runs in 72 matches averaging 37.44, with 8 fifties and one century.
10.  Smith scored his maiden T20 century during the 2016 Indian Premier League, against Gujarat Lions in April 2016. He powered ‘Rising Pune Supergiants’ to 195 for 3 with 101 of 54 balls with eight fours and five sixes.
11.  He was named captain of Rajasthan Royals for the IPL 2018, but was barred from participating due ball tampering controversy. He was subsequently reinstated during 2019 edition replacing Ajinkya Rahane, following poor run of play by the Royals. He scored 319 runs, averaging 39.87, including three fifties.
12.  He is most sought after player around the world in the shortest format of cricket, playing his trade with various franchise inthe Global T20 Canada, Caribbean Premier League, Pakistan Super League, and Bangladesh Super League.
13.  Smith made his debut for Australia in the Twenty 20 International against Pakistan on February 5, 2010, at Melbourne. Playing primarily as leg spinner, he took 2 wickets for 34 runs and scored just eight runs coming down the batting order in eighth.
14.  Following his T20 debut, he was selected to play in the fifth One Day International against the West Indies on February 19, 2010. He made his mark with his leg break, bowling 9.5 overs and accounted for D. Ramdin and R. Rampaul’s wicket for 78 runs. He also took two catches.
15.  He made it to 2010 ICC World Twenty20, held at West Indies. Smith’s 11 wickets in seven matches at an average of 14.81, helped Australia to finish runner-up to England. He was one of the many players from this tournament to graduate to Test team.
16.  Smith made his entry into Test cricket in July 2010, against Pakistan in the first test at Lords. He impressed with his leg-break in the second innings taking three wickets for 51 runs in his 21 oversto help Australia win by 150 runs. In the second test at Leeds, he showed his batting prowess when scored 77 in the second innings to set a competitive target after Australia was bowled out for 88 in the first innings.
17.  During the 2010-11, Ashes series in Australia, Smith was called up to replace Marcus North, in the third test at Perth more as a batsman. Though not spectacular he managed score to 159 runs in six innings averaging 31.80, with one half century.
18.  After a gap of two years Smith made his return to Test cricket in the third test against India in Mohali,in March 2013, after four of the touring player were disciplined for not doing their homework. Though Australia lost the series 0-4, Smith had a reasonable outing with 161 runs in 4 innings averaging 40.25, including highest score of 92.
19.  Smith scored his maiden century at The Oval, in the first innings of fifth test against England in August 2013. He scored 138 of 241 balls with 16fours and 2 sixers. He had an aggregate of 345 runs in 10 innings at an average of 38.33, which includes 2 fifties and a century in the five match series.
20.  He scored his maiden century on home soil during the third Test at Perth, when he scored 111 of 208 balls to rescue Australia to 385 from being 5 for 143 at one time. He followed this up with 115 in the fifth Test to mark 5-0 whitewash victory for Australia. He totaled 327 runs at an average of 36 in the series.
21.  During the tour of South Africa in 2014, Australia won the series 2-1, with Smith contributing 269 runs with second best averages among Australian with 67.55. He had century and a half century to his name.
22.  Smith was the main stay of the team along with Davis Warner during the series against Pakistan in UAE. He scored 101 runs for his maiden ODI century and 77 runs in the final ODI to help Australia win the series 3-0. He was named Man of the ODI Series for his 190 runs at an average of 63.33.
23.  He won his second Man of the Series award in the 2014 series against South Africa in Australia. He led the Australian in batting with 254 runs in four matches with a century and two half centuries.
24.  Smith had many first to his name following the series against to India in 2014-15. He was named Player of the Series with highest aggregate score of 769 runs at an average of 128.16 in a four match series surpassing Donald Bradman.
25.  He was promoted as the 45th Test captain of Australia for the second test against India at the Gabba. He went on to score four consecutive centuries against India in the series to emulate Don Bradman, Neil Harvey, Jack Fingleton, and Matthew Hayden.
26.  He is the first Australian skipper to open their captaincy with three consecutive centuries and also reached his 1,000th runs in the calendar year 2014. He also became the eighth fastest Australian to reach 2000 Test runs. He is the second batsman in the world cricket to score a century in every match of a Test series after Jacques Kallis of South Africa.
27.  He played vital role in Australia winning the 2015 World Cup with score of 5,4, 95, 72, 65, 105, and 56 no. for an aggregate of 402 runs at an average of 67. He became the first player to achieve five consecutive score of fifty plus in the World Cup and the sixth batsman to score fifties in Semi-finals and Finals of the same World Cup.
28.  He became the member of exclusive club of player to be out at 199, in June 2015, in the second Test match against West Indies at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, after spending eight-and –half hours at the crease facing 360 balls, was finally out LBW to Jerome Taylor. He became the third Australian and eighth batsman in the history of Test cricket to be out on 199.
29.  Smith was at receiving end during the tour of South Africa in 2018 when after losing series 2-1, he along with Cameron Bancroft and David Warner were accused of ball tampering. They were subsequently banned from all international and domestic cricket for a period of 12 months.
30.  In 2011 Smith was smitten by Dani Willis, a commerce and law student and after a courtship of over seven years they finally tied knots on September 15, 2018, at Berrima, New South Wales.
31.  Steve Smith Net Worth: $23 Million